Elliott Erwitt: an 'eyewitness to history and a dreamer with a camera'

Elliott Erwitt has spent over half a century photographing everything from stars - including JFK, Che Guevara, and Marilyn Monroe – to unknowns, street scenes, and a fair few charismatic animals. The American great is with us as a retrospective of his photos opens in Paris. He tells Catherine Nicholson about his fascinating life and career, whether he thinks Barack Obama would make a good photo subject, and why he takes so many snaps of dogs.